Report: Norm Christie’s “Masters of War, the development of the CEF” at the Canadian Military Heritage Museum. Hosted by G.W.C.A.

On September 27, 2016 I had the pleasure to attend a talk given by Norm Christie entitled: “Masters of War, the development of the CEF” . The event was hosted by the Great War Centennial Association (G.W.C.A.). Before I get into the meat of the report two shout outs are warranted.

Canadian Military Heritage Museum

This organization’s mandate is well served by the facility. I went once, long ago, during a museum Open Door event with my son over 10 years ago and the time that has passed finds a museum with relevant and extensive artifacts and displays with a natural focus on the Brantford area military heritage and involvement from pre Confederation days to today. The displays are informative and there is an extensive library of books on site.

They hosted the event and it was a highly appropriate locale given the nature of the talk Mr. Christie was presenting.

C.M.H.M. on Facebook

Great War Centennial Association

The G.W.C.A. hosted the event and a group of volunteers where on hand. If you have NOT been to their web site it is strongly recommended. The work and care put into their site to record and give access to people interested in our Canadian military heritage is simply spellbinding. This organization works to preserve, enhance, and keep alive the memory of our service men and women.

I had the pleasure of meeting and talking to Meghan Cameron, one of the board members, and it was great to meet someone else a passion for our history.

In summary, I will be going back to the Canadian Military Heritage Museum keeping tabs on the G.W.C.A. web site for more opportunities to learn and contribute to our understanding of Canadians in the First World War.

G.W.C.A. on Facebook

G.W.C.A. on Twitter

 

The Talk

Norm Christie is a prolific and popular author with a specialist interest in Canadian conflicts of the 20th Century. He is an enthusiastic speaker and spook without interruption and minimal reference to notes for over an hour. He covered the inception of the Canadian military forces at the start of World War 1 and reviewed the significant, and some lesser known, battles in which the Canadians fought. As an example the action at the St. Eloi Craters was reviewed briefly, appropriate given the broad scope of the topic being covered.

Larger actions were covered in more detail, as an example, the Battle of Courcelette, were covered in more detail. Of particular note and value to the talk was Christie’s biographical sketches and timelines of the key military leaders of the Canadian Corp and the timeline in which these generals were engaged in leading the Canadian Divisions.

One area that would of assisted the audience was the use of images. Mr. Christie know the “ground” of the battlefields and the circumstances of the battles so well that his imagery is pertinent to those with a knowledge level similar to his but the use of some slides of the battlefields and the images of the historical figures being reviewed would be a great asset to the talk. Taking about “the left flank” or “their right was exposed” is very esoteric to an uninitiated audience, though given the number of people that have been on one of Christie’s battlefield tours this may not be an issue for the majority of the audience.

For example:

When the talk was over the floor was opened to questions and the audience was able to ask Mr. Christie some questions.

Of particular interest and value to me was the fact that efforts of our men and women during this conflict were not well supported and Mr. Christie offered some explanation to the poor level of our knowledge of this formative time in Canada’s history.

Overall, the talk was an impressive overview of the Canadian involvement in the war and Mr. Christie knows his subject. His interest and passion for sharing this important part of our history is evident in his depth of knowledge and presentation.

Again, I would like to express my thanks and appreciation for the Canadian Military Heritage Museum and the Great War Centenary Association for bringing Mr. Christie to the area for his informative talk.